Bugles and Bagels
by TsukiChanChan
Summary: Lucy never thought that she would find her place in the midst of maniacs. In fact, she blended in more than she would like to admit. Still, they were the best family she could've had, even if her biggest supporter was a pink-haired weirdo with a tendency to set things on fire. [Band AU] [Mostly Follows Canon Plot]
1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note**

 **Welcome to the story! Let's get right into it!**

* * *

Lucy stared at the large building in front of her, knuckles white from clutching her instrument case so hard, trying to stop the trembling.

 _Fairy Tail Band Camp_

Quite possibly the most feared and respected place for any instrumentalist, desperately trying to climb up the ranks to become the best of their class. Lucy was one of those hopeful players, scared of the competition but giving it their all no matter what.

Lucy knew she deserved to be here- she had proved as much at the auditions- but everyone here would be of a whole different caliber than what she was used to. She was a mortal among gods, and the realization of it hit her so hard that she had the sudden urge to turn around and go back home if only to calm her nerves.

The large wooden doors threatened to swallow her whole. She imagined her fellow bandmates staring at her through the fancy windows, laughing at her timidity. The large orange banner fluttered in the soft wind, the Fairy Tail mark a reminder of what exactly she was getting into.

She gulped, casting the depressing thoughts aside, desperately clawing for _some_ hope to hang onto. Something to convince herself that she would have fun.

 _Friends._

But that was ridiculous. In her mind, she could already imagine the skilled players battling the way to the top. There's no room for friends when you're trying to be the best, at least, that's what her father always said.

The thought of having a rival made Lucy take a step back- she wanted nothing to do with it, even if it was just the distorted imaginings of her nervousness.

But Lucy Heartfilia was a go-getter, and she knew better than anyone what it's like having rewards and titles cast upon you for no reason other than who you are.

And she decided she didn't like it. She had fought _so hard_ to get here. How could she just back away?

She couldn't.

So, with a burst of resolve, she pushed open the heavy door, hastily stepping inside the cool building. The wooden floors were worn with age. You could see the paths of those who came before, little dips in the hardwood that no one bothered to fix. The wallpaper was peeling, and yellowed from age, with some strips gathered on the floor. Every chair was either broken, or too unstable to sit on, but it wasn't like Lucy planned to.

"Yes, it's not exactly state of the art, is it?"

Lucy jumped at the voice, turning her head in its direction. A woman with long white locks looked at Lucy with kind blue eyes, a warm smile on her face. She rested on a broom, dustpan in her hand.

An embarrassed blush warmed up Lucy's cheeks. "I didn't mean to seem rude." She stammered. "I just thought-"

"Oh, don't worry about it. The band here is," she paused, searching for the right word," rowdy. The main office serves as a celebration hall."

She gestured to the other side of the room with her dustpan, where a small stage stood, red curtains apart, revealing a stool and microphone.

"Guessing by the instrument in your hand, I'm guessing you're here to play?" The woman continued, making her way towards the desk. Lucy followed her, nodding her head in affirmation.

"Okay! You have your papers and stuff, right?" The woman said upon arrival, typing away at the computer in front of her.

"Yeah," Lucy said, pulling the crumpled sheets out of her bag, smoothing them out as best as she could. "Here you go."

The woman took the papers and hummed to herself, skimming over all the useless information. "Oh!" She said, not looking up from the task at hand. "My name's Mirajane. You can call me Mira."

"Nice to meet you," Lucy replied, giving a small bow. "I'm Lucy, but I guess you already knew."

"I've been meaning to ask about that," Mirajane replied, setting the papers down to look back at Lucy. "On your forms, it says Lucy. _Just_ Lucy. If your picture didn't match up, I'd send you away- I've done it more times than you'd imagine. Your last name is nowhere to be found anywhere. I thought it to be our mistake, but it was so repetitious that I assumed it was your preference."

She gave Lucy a pointed look as if she could see everything about it. Under the gaze, Lucy gulped. It may have made her look suspicious, but she was just scared. Scared that her secret would come out before she even got the chance to perform.

"Family issues, I'm guessing," Mirajane said, and Lucy nodded. "Okay. I suggest you come up with some last name- so you don't have to deal with some unnecessary drama. We have a nosy bunch, here."

"Okay." Lucy nodded. She hadn't even thought to think about that. She had just figured that she'd just be Lucy for the duration of her time here.

"Two more things and you'll be on your way!" Mirajane cheerily announced, eyes sparkling. "Because of the many people trying to infiltrate this band camp, we have stamps to identify our students. I suggest putting it in the most convenient spot for you, since you'll have to have your stamp checked from tomorrow onward at school entry and when boarding on trips. The stamp material is our own special recipe, designed to be picked up on by the scanners you'll grow accustomed to during your time here. Trying to copy it to enter _won't work._ If it is found that you've done so, you'll be removed from camp immediately. The stamp is not washable and can't be removed except through us, and, you won't get another one unless it, somehow, finds itself detached from your body by someone's own volition instead of yours. That being said, where do you want it and what color?"

"There isn't a paper with this information on it?" Lucy asked, trying her best to burn the information into her mind.

"Oh, of course. I'm supposed to tell students some things beforehand since no one reads the informational packets."

"You wouldn't happen to have a packet on you?" Lucy knew the importance of knowing the terms and conditions of anything she came across. How could she not? She was raised surrounded by contracts and business deals. "Oh, and… I'll take the stamp on my right hand in pink."

"Done and done." Mirajane pulled out a bulky packet, laughing at Lucy's expression.

"It's not as much as it looks. Most of it is about the actual establishment. The stuff that actually applies to you is only the first forty pages, and even then, it's double-spaced with a big font."

"Oh. That's great." Lucy sighed in relief.

"Okay, let's get you stamped," Mirajane muttered, pulling out a stamp pad and three jars, each branded with the Fairy Tail symbol. "We actually have three shade of pink- regular, pastel, and hot pink. Take your pick."

"Regular, please," Lucy said, watching as Mirajane stuck the pad into the jar, before wetting the stamp. She pressed it onto Lucy's outstretched hand, and Lucy shivered at the sponge. It was very, _very_ cold.

Mirajane laughed. "We have to keep it cold- it's a wonder the ink doesn't freeze. Next thing! Just head into the walkway over there and there will be a large chute to your right. Slide your instrument into there- don't worry, it's safe. Turn right immediately after and there will be large double doors at the end of the hall. There you'll get to know your bandmates. Try to hurry- debriefing begins in five minutes."

"What's the chute for?"

"We're not on the best terms with some other band groups. An incident occurred a while back, and it ended harming several students. To make sure that doesn't happen again, we check all instrument cases beforehand and you will be checked right before heading into the classroom. If you have any prosthetic parts, just let them know."

She handed a folder to Lucy, who held it firmly in her hands.

"Your schedule is in there. As you probably know, this is more of an academy than a playing group. Each student is required to take certain classes based on your audition score. There's also a sheet that lists the different type of playing groups you can be in and such. It also talks a lot about 'The Hierarchy' and that will be explained to you soon."

"Okay." Lucy murmured, excitement, and fear, welling up inside of her. With the stamp, a sense of belonging came. She was a part of something big, the biggest band of all time. Forgetting to thank Mirajane, she headed towards the walkway, the words Mirajane just shouted after her replaying in her mind.

 _Welcome to Fairy Tail._

* * *

 **Author's Note**

 **Band! Band! This is more like a prologue, I guess, but I'm excited! You're about to see what band is all about!**


	2. Chapter 2

**Author's Note**

 **Welcome to the second chapter! Enjoy!**

* * *

The walkway was _way_ fancier than the office.

Lucy stepped on white marble flooring, gawking at the golden chandeliers above and the grand wallpapers with that reminded her of her old home. Her fingers ran across the dark wooden panels. She was too afraid to lay a finger on the blue damask, lest she managed to leave a smidge of dirt on the flawless design. She almost missed the chute in her admiration, and would've passed it if not for her fingers suddenly meeting the cool metal.

Stopping, she held her instrument up, looking apprehensively into the chute. Sticking her head in, despite feeling foolish about it, she examined the hole her instrument would be dropping into. At the end of the long, dark path, light shimmered, exposing a large mattress at the bottom.

Mira had said it was safe, but…

Sighing, she took her head out of the chute, dropping her instrument in. What else was she supposed to do? Anything else would've made her suspicious, and she would've gotten kicked out before she knew it.

She lingered there, straining to hear any sound of her instrument safely reaching the bottom. Deciding that she wouldn't be able to hear it, she sighed again and walked forward, fiddling with the string of her bag.

She braced herself for the screening Mira said would be at the end of the next hall. Her experience with metal detectors was brief, but unpleasant.

The first, and only, time she had ever dealt with one, that she could remember, was her fifth birthday when her parents decided to take her to some island that they owned.

She had gotten a pretty bracelet as a present- a metal one with jewels of all sorts of colors. She found it too precious to give up for just one second, so she walked through the detector with it still on her wrist. The flashing red light and loud beeping sounded as soon as she stepped through, scaring Little Lucy to no end.

Lucy still remembered her crying at the noise and swatting away the security guards who rushed to check her. Sure, Lucy's dislike of metal detectors was based on a memory from kindergarten, but the experience left a lasting impression.

As she neared the corner, she imagined the guards with their usual stoic faces and annoying professionalism, their boring uniforms clashing with their shiny badges.

Instead, shouts resonated through the halls making Lucy squeak in surprise.

"Come on! Let's take a break!"

"No! Stop asking me!"

"It wasn't a question!"

Lucy peeked around the corner, looking at the two men arguing at the end of the hall.

One furiously swept around the metal detector with a broom, face and neck red from anger. His sandy brown hair feel to his chin, matted to his forehead from sweat. His orange t-shirt hung to his thin frame, highwater khakis rising and falling with each step. His dark eyes were plastered on his partner, who leaned against the wall with an unlit pipe in hand. His auburn-ish hair was styled in an outrageous pompadour, his green shirt halfway unbuttoned and his retro orange pants fully covering his feet. Aviator glasses hung on his collar, and, like his companion, an angry frown played on his face.

"You'd get us fired!" The blonde man screeched, slamming his broom on the floor. "You already had your smoke break!"

"Well, I want another one!"

"Go to Makarov then, not me!"

"Don't you think I have, already? It's not like anyone's going to come here while we're gone!"

"You don't know that, Wakaba!"

"You know what, Max?" Wakaba said, pulling a lighter out of his pocket. "I'm taking my break right here, right now, no matter _what_ you say."

"No, you're not." Max growled, picking his broom up, swinging it at Wakaba. The pipe fell out of the man's hand, skidding across the hall, landing at Lucy's feet.

The two men watched it in its travel, just taking notice to the blonde.

Max's face flushed in embarrassment. "You weren't standing there long, were you?"

Lucy shook her head, stepping into full view. Wrinkling her nose, she bent down and picked up the pipe, tossing it back to its owner.

"What a babe!" Wakaba exclaimed, gawking at the blonde with his dark brown eyes.

"You're disgusting." Max muttered, before turning to Lucy, beckoning her over. She reluctantly complied, careful to put as much distance as possible between her and Wakaba.

"Don't mind the old hag." Max laughed. "No prosthetic parts, right? Jewelry, cell phones?"

"No." Lucy said. "I do have this bag, though."

She handed it to Max, who quickly rummaged through it before handing it back.

"Head on through." He said, gesturing towards the metal detector. Lucy tensed as she walked through, sighing in relief at the lack of beeping afterwards.

"Then you're good!" Max said, handing her back her bag. "My name's Max, that's Wakaba."

"Yeah, I heard it while you were screaming at each other." Lucy laughed, grasping Max's extended hand. "I'm Lucy. Nice to meet you."

"Likewise." Max nodded, and Wakaba politely inclined his head. "You'll be getting your instrument by the end of the day, by the way."

"Okay." Lucy replied, heading towards the large doors that led to wherever she was going. "Will I have to go through the metal detectors _every day_?"

"No." Wakaba scoffed. "Makarov is just being overly cautious, and I can't take a smoke because of it."

"Stop bringing up smoking. The stuff can kill you." Max muttered. Not willing to be caught in the crossfire of another one of those two's arguments, Lucy quickly opened the mahogany doors, stepping into the next room before she quickly closed the door behind her. The thick doors muffled their yells, and Lucy could fully appreciate the room she had entered.

The room itself was simple, with beige sound mufflers lining pale blue walls. White tile shimmered under the rose gold chandelier.

It was the trophies that made Lucy gape in awe. On the opposite wall, nothing but shelves stood, each full of golden trophies. In fact, there were so many that the shelves were cluttered. She managed to tear her eyes away, and she looked at the rest of the room.

Nobody noticed the sound of the door closing behind her. The room was unbearably loud, with everyone too involved in their conversation to notice the newcomer. Lucy felt outcasted, but also content. Even in their obnoxious state, they all looked fairly threatening, or maybe Lucy was just paranoid. They all had this confident spark in their eyes, one she lacked and doubted she'd ever have. She was a newbie among legends- who wouldn't be intimidated? Not to mention she was completely alone. She packed the heaviest out of everyone here, the others having nothing but water bottles and the occasional sandwich. She clutched the straps of her drawstrings self-consciously- it wasn't like she _meant_ to pack so heavily, but her rundown apartment wasn't in the safest part of Magnolia, so she had no other choice than to carry her most valuable items with her. She guessed that other students would bring bags so she wouldn't seem too odd, but apparently not. An embarrassed blush coated her cheeks.

She sat down in a chair far enough from everyone that they'd have to move towards to hold a conversation, near the front of the room right in front of a small raised platform. The next three minutes were long, with no one to talk to and nothing to do except thrum her fingers on her hand and encourage herself not to be discouraged by her predicament.

When a door behind the podium opened and a tiny, old man emerged from it, she looked up with excitement. It's easier to pretend she wasn't alone when everyone was forced to be silent while he spoke.

She was so excited that she didn't fully register how short he was until he reached the podium that more than doubled his height. He stepped onto a stepstool, still unnoticed by everyone save for Lucy, before tapping the microphone.

"Your attention, please!" He shouted into it, causing the microphone to give a sharp shriek, causing everyone to turn and look at the old man.

While Lucy winced at the loud noise, everyone else seemed only minorly inconvenienced and looked to the man with exasperated expressions. The man ignored them.

"Welcome!" He said, noticeably more quiet that before, with a large smile that lit up the room. "Or should I say, welcome back?"

He chuckled to himself, though no one joined in, before his eyes scanned through the crowd. "I don't think we have any new faces..."

His eyes landed on Lucy, and his smile widened. "Well, it seems we do!"

Everyone followed his gaze, and suddenly Lucy was the center of attention, a warm blush spreading across her cheeks.

"Why don't you come up and introduce yourself?" The man suggested, fiddling with the bells on the ridiculous jester hat he wore.

"Eh?" Lucy squeaked, subconsciously standing out of her seat. While her mind was internally cursing her body for moving towards the podium, she could only let out another surprised squeak. " _Eh?_ "

"Put down the bag!" The man boomed in a friendly tone. "My, you've certainly came prepared. Better than the rest of your peers."

He squinted at the rest. And while Lucy internally commanded her body to move back towards her chair to put down her bag as instructed, her body, once again, did not comply, for she stood at the podium as she waited for the man to get off the stepstool. He did soon, and Lucy awkwardly nudged the stepstool out of her way, awkwardly looking out onto the cunning eyes that awaited her to speak.

As her mind wracked for something to say, the small, old man spoke loud onto the others.

"Let's give her a big Fairy Tail welcome!" He shouted, and Lucy noted that he didn't need the microphone. He spoke loudly with ease.

A cheer erupted in the room, louder than the commotion not too long ago, with everyone shouting greetings and throwing her smiles. Lucy couldn't help but feel that it was fake and well-rehearsed, but she felt a little better anyway. As soon as the noise died down, she cleared her throat.

"Hello," she whispered into the microphone, cringing at the screech that followed. "I'm Lucy. Lucy Ashley."

Everyone murmured a hello and her name, and waited for her to continue.

"Um, I don't really know what to say," she let out a breathless laugh. "I am happy to be here, and hope to be well acquainted with all of you in the near future."

She bowed her head, and rushed back to her seat, teeth clenched and mind screaming as everyone whooped and hollered.

 _Why were you so formal_ _?_ She mentally berated herself as she sat down. That was the _first_ time she'd ever spoken to more than one person at a time- her first time being in the midst of so many _people_.

It was one of the scariest things she'd ever done, and something she wished never to do again. When she looked up again, she found the old man looking back.

"Thank you for introducing yourself Lucy!" He spoke. "I am your director, Makarov. No need for any formalities."

He looked back towards everyone. "Well, since we have a new member, looks like we'll actually have to do a briefing."

A collective groan arose from the instrumentalists and Lucy heard a few near to her mumble curses under their breath. All because of her.

"Quiet!" Makarov barked. "It'll only take a minute."

He cleared his throat. "Fairy Tail Band Camp is a school more than anything, focused on improving the qualities of our students while letting them carve their own path. So we have classes on what we found the students struggled on the most and your classes are based on your scores. Even if you aren't assigned to a certain class you felt you needed to, you can always go to that class' teacher for help. There are collective tests for certain topics students did the worst on as a group to make sure there has been significant improval. Why do this you ask?"

He didn't continue, and instead looked out onto the students. "Well?"

"Why do this?" Someone grumbled from behind Lucy.

"Great question!" Makarov beamed. "To make more money! There is _always_ some sort of competition going on somewhere and you can win a pretty penny if you do well. Fairy Tail covers hotel expenses and all you have to pay for is train tickets! Isn't that great?"

A sarcastic symphony of "Yeah"s erupted among everyone.

"I know right!" Makarov exclaimed. "Well, that's all! The rest you'll learn during your time here! Any questions?"

Nobody spoke up.

"Okay then." Makarov said. "Well then, let's head down to the dining area for some grub!"

At this, a large cheer erupted from the crowd and everyone bounced out of their seats. Lucy found herself following the wave of students bursting through the large doors she'd just entered no more than ten minutes ago, gulping as she became anxious at what came next.

* * *

 **Author's Note**

 **So it has been redone! (As of 7/8/17)**

 **Wow 2017 is already halfway through, time flies!**

 **Anyway, such is the process of my writing.**

 **Write, be satisfied, become lost at what to put next, procrastinate writing the next chapter, give up on writing it, come back months later to rewrite chapter, be satisfied, write next chapter, repeat.**

 **It's hard man... but I did it! Hopefully I'll update other stuff to soon...**


	3. Chapter 3

**Author's Note**

 **Dun dun dun!**

* * *

She knew they reached the dining hall when a collection of gasps arose from the group. She followed them through wide doors and entered a large dining area with a huge disco ball dominating the ceiling. Unlike the impressive practice room, the dining area resembled the lobby more than anything. Cracked wooden chairs were littered across the floor, few actually accompanying the unoccupied tables. Everyone ran towards the long tables full of delicious concoctions and Lucy realized that she was still standing in the doorway. She had packed lunch with her, but she was not going to complain about free food, _especially_ when it smelled so good. Whatever was at those tables definitely seemed better than the sorry excuse for a sandwich and the warm water bottle in her bag.

A student noticed her standing at the doorway right before she moved her feet towards what looked like a line.

"Hey, Lucy!" They called, and Lucy turned to see who spoke to her. It was a small girl with wild blue hair, that held two plates in her hand. Behind her were two guys who scrambled to get the plates off her hand, but she ignored them and beckoned Lucy over.

"Hi." Lucy greeted, falling into step with the girl as they walked towards the table.

The girl handed her a plate, which Lucy took questioningly.

"You won't tbe able to get any food when they're like that." She explained. "By the time you get to the food, it'll be gone. My name's Levy."

"Nice to meet you." Lucy replied.

"And those two guys," she nodded her head towards the guys that were just nagging her, who had rushed ahead to set a table," are Jet and Droy."

"Are they your boyfriends?" Lucy asked, and Levy gaped at her.

"What?" She asked. "No! They act more of my guardians than love interests..."

Levy sighed at that and shrugged. "Like older brothers, really."

"Oh." Lucy said, ashamed at her assumptions. Two boyfriends? What was she thinking. "Sorry for assuming."

"Sorry for assuming." She muttered as she sat down with Levy, Jet and Droy. Levy shrugged it off and they both muttered quick prayers before eating.

Lucy looked at her plate- it was full of different foods. All of it look delicious, and Lucy pondered which serving she should eat first.

Levy caught her looking at her food. "Oh, I should've asked if you're allergic to anything! Are you?"

"No."

"That's our Levy-chan! Always caring for friends!" Jet and Droy praised, and Lucy looked oddly at them. Levy didn't seem to notice.

"I just put a little of everything on your plate." Levy said. "Sorry if the portions don't satisfy you."

"No," Lucy said, shaking her head. She decided to try the baked chicken first, stuffing a forkful into her mouth. "Thank you."

Lucy's eyes immediately brightened at the wonderful taste of the chicken. "Wow! This is so good! Who made this?"

"Mirajane." Levy answered with a giggle. "She's the best cook I know."

"Wow!" Lucy repeated, just as a person crashed down onto the table. Jet and Droy moved in front of Levy just as the that was once on plates erupted into the air, nearly falling on Lucy, who could only stare at everything with her mouth agape.

The person on the table sat up abruptly, seemingly on irritated at the fact that he had landed on someone's table.

"Damn you!" He shouted, shaking his fist at someone Lucy could not see. The boy let out a sigh, before looking down at Lucy. A bright grin spread across his face.

He ruffled his pink ( _pink?!_ ) hair, and reached his other towards Lucy. "Yo! New girl Lucy!"

"Natsu!" Levy shouted from behind Natsu before Lucy could respond. "Would you fight Gray somewhere else?! You ruined Lucy's plate!"

"Huh?" Natsu said, blinking confusedly. "Oh, sorry."

He picked up Lucy's plate, which laid upside down on the edge of the table, and carefully picked up the few bits of food that remained on the table then put it back on her plate.

"There! Now you can eat again!" Natsu exclaimed, the grin returning to his face. Lucy almost thought he was pulling some cruel joke by suggesting she eat her food after it had been on the nasty table and his hands, but his smile was so genuine she couldn't help but sigh and forgive him.

"Thank you." She muttered, picking at her food with her fork. At least she got to try the chicken before everything went to shit.

"No prob." Natsu said, obviously not hearing the disappointment in Lucy's voice. "I'm Natsu Dragneel, the best trumpet player here!"

Lucy wasn't surprised. She had heard that one's instrument matched one's personality, and a boy as rambunctious and reckless as Natsu could _only_ be a trumpet player.

"What instrument do you play?" Natsu asked, moving so that he could sit crosslegged in front of the blonde. She sweatdropped- why didn't he just pull up a chair? There were plenty around.

"Natsu!" Levy shouted. "Get off the table, idiot!"

"What?" He whined, turning to face the bluenette. "I was talking to Lucy!"

"And I'm telling you to leave." Levy stated, and although Lucy couldn't see her, she imagined her crossing her arms at the pink headed boy in front of her. "You made a mess and you won't clean it up, so leave so we can."

Natsu sighed, not even protesting Levy's jab at his messiness, and hopped off the table, but not before throwing Lucy another smile.

"Well, see ya later then Luce!"

 _Luce_ _?_

Jet and Droy furiously scrubbed the table with an intense focus on Levy's area as she continued to eat, before putting down her fork with a sigh.

"I can't believe Natsu." She murmured under her breath, before giving Lucy a dull glance. "The worse part is, he's like that _all_ the time. The whole guild is that bad all the time!"

She gestured around her, and Lucy then noticed all the brawls and food fights taking place around her. Natsu had gotten into another one with a black haired boy not too far from her. How did she not notice?

"And Erza's not even here to stop them!" Levy exclaimed, dramatically throwing her hands up into the air.

"Don't fret Levy-chan!" Jet and Droy exclaimed, holding their hands to their heart. "Times might be crazy, but I will always be here to protect you!"

The two's head whipped towards each other and they both gave each other threatening glares, with Levy oblivious to it all. Both of them _definitely_ had the hots for Levy- how did the bluenette not notice?!

"Who's Erza?" Lucy asked, and Levy gave Lucy a curious look.

"She's one of the best saxophone players in Fiore!" Levy said. "How have you not heard of her? She's like- everyone's idol."

Lucy gave a pathetic laugh, shrugging her shoulders. "I guess I kind of live under a rock, huh?"

"Obviously." Levy chuckled. "Anyway, she's performing somewhere far away- jazz competition I guess. I don't know how she plans to win alone. I don't even know when she'll get back."

"Oh." Lucy said. "What instrument do you play, Levy?"

"Flute." Levy answered. "I thought about trying something new this year, but then I'd go down to a B-Class performer."

"There's classes?"

"Yup." Levy nodded. "So no one will play in a competition out of their league and get embarrassed.

"B-Class, A-Class, and S-Class." Levy continued. "We have four S-Class instrumentalists. Erza's one of them."

"That's very admirable." Lucy said. "Are we just going to sit here for the rest of the day?"

"No, but today's the first day. We'll eat for probably twenty more minutes, before getting a thirty minute break before we head to a class. Then, we go home."

"Only one class a day?"

"If it weren't the first day, we would be in class rather than here. Today's pretty much the only day lunch is provided." Levy's eyes moved to Lucy's bag. "I'm guessing no one mentioned that to you? Fairy Tail isn't as meticulous as it looks."

"Yeah," Lucy nodded, looking back around her. "I can tell."

* * *

 **Author's Note**

 **TAKE HEED! TAKE HEED! THIS CHAPTER HAS BEEN REVISED! (As of 7/8/17)**

 **Hope you enjoyed the chapter! Joys!**


	4. Chapter 4

**Author's Note**  
 ***Silence***

* * *

"Are you always so withdrawn?" Levy curiously asked, voice hushed. She and Lucy sat in the front of one of the classrooms of Fairy Tail, bored senseless.

"I guess." Lucy shrugged. "I wasn't raised around other kids."

"Oh, an only child." Levy let out a sigh, resting her chin in her hand. "I have five siblings. Two girls, three boys. It was hectic."

"Your parents must've been stressed." Lucy chuckled.

"Well, they split when I was seven. I and my brother and sister went with our dad, but by the time I was ten they were grown and out the house." She shrugged. "It was a nice, peaceful time after that. I always was my dad's favorite."  
Lucy hummed as a response, nearly fainting when she noticed how much information she missed from such a short conversation. She furiously scribbled everything to know about being an accompanist and Chopin (though she had no intention to play the piano) just as the teacher, whose name she didn't know, wiped it off the board.

"Wow, you're a vigilant note taker." Levy commented, peering over Lucy's shoulder at the nearly full paper. Her own paper was mostly empty, for Levy only paid attention to it whenever the teacher looked her way, writing whatever random words came to mind. "I've been getting placed in this class for three years now, and yet nothing this guy helps. I know every lesson by heart, yet I'm still helpless!"

"Really?" Lucy asked, putting down her pencil in relief. She rubbed her tired wrist and looked at Levy. "Why don't you get extra help after the day's over?"

"This place already reminds me of school so much!" Levy muttered. "With classes and lessons and such. College gives me enough of that. To think I'll be spending all of July here!"

"Oh? What's college like?"

Levy gazed at Lucy, with a questioning eye. "Fun. Most of us go to the same university- Magnolia University, since it's really close and has a cheap tuition considering how great of a school it is."

"What's your major?"

"Peace and Conflict Studies." She replied. "Though I have a love for Literature."

"Ooh, a future diplomat."

Levy smiled, pleased with the comment. "I think we should all study how to peacefully resolve issues- I'm just going to try to find a career from it. What are you majoring in?"

Lucy's smile dropped from her face, and she gave an uninterested shrug. "I'm not attending a college." Her nonchalant facade shattered, and her shoulders slumped. "I do want to, though."

"Well, then you should!" Levy exclaimed, nudging Lucy's shoulder. "Magnolia Uni has a whole bunch of scholarships if it's a financial thing. They have a huge pamphlet that lists all of them and the requirements. I have one at home- I could lend it to you."

"You could? Thanks!" Lucy said, the smile returning to her face. "Thanks a bunch."

"It's no problem."

The teacher suddenly sat down on his desk, his voice growing loud enough for the two girls to snap their attention to him.

"I hope you lot learned a bit." His eyes shifted straight to Lucy and Levy, who suddenly felt sheepish under his knowing glare. "And I'll see you some time or other."  
And with a wave of his hand, students stood and filed out the door, Levy and Lucy taking the rear.

"Hey, I was invited to some party to celebrate the first day back at camp," Levy started, fiddling with her thumbs. "I know everyone there, but they're not really my friends, and we're all supposed to invite a friend, and I was wondering if you could come as my plus-one?"

"A party?" Lucy repeated, silently mulling it over. So many things can go wrong at a party, if there really was one- this could all be a trick to humiliate her- and she made up her mind to politely decline. "Yes, I'll go."

 _What the hell?_

"Great!" Levy exclaimed, a bright smile on her face. They were in the lobby, just reaching the doors. Levy held it open for Lucy, who suddenly felt as nervous as she did walking in. Levy's car, a white beetle, was parked right in front of the doors, and she climbed in, starting up the car. Just as she was about to pull out, she poked her head through the window.

"Do you need a ride home?"

"No!" Lucy lied, plastering a smile on her face. "My car's just over there. Thanks!"

"Okay!" And then Levy was gone.

And Lucy began the walk home.

* * *

 **Author's Note**

 **Sorry it took so long to get rid of the formatting stuff!**


End file.
